Herbal contraceptives are neither FDA-approved nor 100 percent effective. Listed below are herbal remedies found in our research; however, we are not sure how some of these are effectively used. Consult an herbal expert before experimenting, as some of these herbs are toxic.

Abortifacients (morning-after herb):Cotton Root Bark, also called “gossypium,” is supposedly the safest and most reliable.

Blue Cohosh Root with Pennyroyal, sometimes formed in a tea to consume.

Smartweed Leaves, also formed into a tea for consumption.

Queen Anne’s Lace Seeds supposedly block the production of progesterone.

Apricot Kernels, effective if taken five to 10 a day until menstruation.

Herbs that cause sterility:Stoneseed Root

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Root

Thistles

Monthly prevention against conception:Wild Yam, taken daily.

Neem Oil, used internally as a spermicide.

Pomegranate Seeds

Rutin, 500 mg daily several days before and after ovulation.

SOURCES: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed; Woodrow Wilson Foundation; www.sisterzeus.com; Eve's Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West by John M. Riddle

Thoughts on the 36th anniversary of Roe V. Wade To commemorate that anniversary, the Maine Choice Coalition, along with the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the League of Young Voters, and the Portland Phoenix, are teaming up to screen the film I Had An Abortion at SPACE Gallery on Wednesday, January 28.